A New Beginning lurks around the corner. Unwrap it with a joyful spirit!

Farewell to 2011- to all your happy memories, the tough moments, and the love. This year past was a gift. One I will be eternally grateful for.

I look forward to the New Year- the fresh start, adventures to come, and time with those I love! This year make time for YOU to increase your well-being.  Exercise, create healthy meals, meditate or take quiet time, and spend time with friends, because our time here does not last forever. Connect with people. They need you as you need them.

Ring in the New Year with harmony, peace & love!
You are a child of the universe *~*
You are AMAZING!

Happy New Year ♥ With much Love!

“We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”  ~James Dean

One morning last school year after dashing around the house trying to feed the kids, get their outdoor gear on, and convincing my two year old that she does in fact have to come with me to drop my son off at school and she cannot stay home-- You know how the morning rush goes... we were a few minutes behind schedule.

One the way we saw a poor little kitty on the side of the road, alive and injured.  She must have been hit by a car.  Probably someone on their way to work or maybe another parent trying to get the kids to school on time.  My heart broke for the poor thing and in that split second with the stream of cars, albeit slow moving, I didn’t know what to do and failed to make a quick decision.  I kept going.

To this day I do not feel good about my choice to keep driving.  Immediately I knew it was not the right choice for me.  Not one that I personally felt OK with. Two cars behind me someone pulled over and I was incredibly grateful the person made that decision. 

No one wants to be late for circle time at school and have to wait outside the door until circle time is over, but we are talking about the life of someone’s beloved pet.  If my son was late to school because we stopped and helped an injured animal I’m more than OK with that.  In fact, I think that life lesson is 100 times more important than being to school on time.


The Dilemma

Looking back, part of the reason I believe I did not pull over is because I didn’t know what I would do at that point.  I am not personally comfortable with picking up an injured animal, putting them in my car and driving them somewhere.  In a perfect world there would be someone you could call to help, but who???

When I lived in the city of Vancouver I very rarely, if ever, saw injured animals on the side of the road.  Now that I live in the country, sadly it is a regular occurrence.  There are often deer on the side of the road and other wildlife that have been hit.  From what I am told, Idaho state law says if you hit an animal you are responsible for moving it to the side of the road so that it is out of the way for other cars.

Fortunately, this has not happened to me up until now, but it could.  Accidents happen.  What if you hit a deer and it is still alive injured on the road?  The thought of dragging an injured deer to the side of the road scares me.  I have heard how dangerous a kicking, injured deer can be.  Is there someone you can call for help?

My guess is that 911 does not want you clogging the lines with phone calls to help with injured animals.  I want to be prepared for the next time I find myself in a similar situation, so I can make an informed decision and do my best to help.  Is there a place you can call for help if you see an injured dog or cat?  What about if you hit wildlife and it needs to be moved?  Is it crazy to want a state emergency line for animals???


Please tell me – What would you do?

Honored today my article is a feature on the home page of Modern Mom!  Great way to start Monday :) 

Check it out here:

Have a beautiful day, friends! ♥

Thank you Modern Mom, and thank you friends for your support.  You are the reason it is a success!

Lately, I have been trying to figure out a personal balance that feels right between time online and time unplugged.  You may have got that sense last week in the article Does Unplugging Help Achieve Balance?  Our family time on the weekend is something I truly treasure.   Currently, with my blogging schedule I publish a new post 5 times per week, Sunday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.  The reason I have done it this way is so that Monday morning there is a new post ready to go, especially for my blog friends who subscribe through email, the RSS feed, or read this blog on ModernMom.

However, it means that I am on the computer working on my blog Sunday afternoons, which may not be the right balance for me.  For a little while I thought I would try switching things up and publishing new posts Monday afternoon – Friday afternoon.  This means there will not be a new post up first thing on Monday morning. 

Making this change is more than just what is right for me.  I am very grateful that you share in this journey with me, and it is very important to me to know how this impacts you.  Do you have an opinion on which posting schedule you like better, or do you feel it doesn’t make too much of a difference?   

Please share your honest opinions with me in the comments and/or on the Give Love Create Happiness Facebook page.  I want to make this blog work well for you!  If you have any ideas or thoughts on what you would like to hear more about, or see more articles on, please let me know.  Your feedback is super important!

Thank you, friends!

Here is to creating a wonderful week! :-)

♥With Love,
Wendy Irene

Where has the time gone?  I can’t believe it is time to say farewell to 2010 and welcome in the New Year!

2010 was my first full year of blogging, having started near the end of 2009 in November.  What a tremendous blessing it has been!

With the conclusion of my first full year of blogging I thought I would share with you my number one blogging tip of the year that also perfectly mirrors life.  Focus on those you have and not on those you don’t because it is what you have, not what you don’t, that is truly important.  Even with wanting to create a successful website if you spend all your time trying to find new people and not appreciating the love, support, and friendship from those that do choose to spend precious minutes of their life with you than you will be missing the greatest blessing of all!

Thank you for sharing with me many wonderful memories and supporting me through the more trying ones.  Your energy, love, and friendship are always felt and mean more than words could ever fully express.

Here's to a New Year of inspiring each other to create the most joyous new moments, one at a time! ♥

With Love & Warm Wishes,
Wendy

It has been so cold with lots of wind and snow at our home that the kids and I thought snowflake inspired sugar cookies were in order.  A nice addition to Thanksgiving dinner :-)

I am very grateful to you for sharing in this journey of life with me.  It means more than words can say.  Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I look forward to returning Monday but if you would like to keep in touch until then you can find me here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Give-Love-Create-Happiness/116328621752830

 
Warmest Wishes and much Love,
Wendy Irene

Give is a new section on Modern Mom that I am very excited to let you know about.  Chances are you may have already heard by now but it is absolutely worth mentioning again.  Currently on give.modernmom.com there is a Hallmark Celebri-Tree Holiday Auction going on which runs from November 11 – December 3.

The auction includes everything from adorable ornaments, to autographed greeting cards and Hallmark recordable storybooks.  The auction “return the favor” benefits the VFW Fountain (Veterans of Foreign Wars).  You can help military families facing financial hardships by bidding on Hallmark products signed by celebrities, and if you are a fan of Dancing with the Stars you are in luck because there are many products signed by the DWTS celebs.

Nothing brings holiday cheer into your life like the act of giving.  Now you and your loved ones can enjoy an adorable Hallmark ornament, greeting card, or storybook and smile knowing that you have truly helped another in need.  Here is an opportunity to return the favor for the freedom we so often take for granted for veterans and their families that return home to hardships.

An ornament benefiting the VFW foundation hanging on the tree would certainly bring special meaning to the season of giving, and is something I know my family would cherish.  What a great lesson to teach your children.  If you are outbid, or if none of the products suit you, there is an option to simply make a donation to the VFW foundation on the Give Modern Mom site.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Modern Mom Give here!  I’m really excited about it, and about being a member of such a fantastic site!

Now before I go I have to let you know about a special deal going on at Starbucks.  I do love my occasional holiday drinks from the coffee giant so I’m happy to let you know from November 18-21 from 2-5pm if you buy one holiday drink you get a second free!  What a great opportunity to treat someone special in your life, especially if you are out holiday shopping or running your weekly errands.  I’m thinking coffee date this weekend with my husband while we discuss the holiday list.


Have a wonderful day, friends! ♥

Over the weekend we arrived in Idaho, and the movers came on Monday.  Today our internet and phone were installed and now we are slowly manoeuvring our way through a sea of boxes.  I look forward to returning to the blog next week.  I hope you are doing well and that you have a fantastic end to your week!
See you Monday!

♥With Love,
Wendy Irene